Celebrating it’s 14th year, the National Book Festival moves to the Washington Convention Center this Saturday, offering twelve hours of bibliophila! (The National Park Service says the hordes of eager readers, some 200,000, was damaging the lawn.)

Started in 2001 by librarian and First Lady Laura Bush with support from the Library of Congress, the National Book Festival has grown steadily, from a small fair set on the east lawn of the U.S. Capitol near the Library of Congress, to multiple tents on the National Mall, to the convention center.

The NBF was slow to discover the popularity of graphic novels, but that changed in 2012 with the first graphic novel pavillion. It returns this year, along with the first night session of events!

But… most exciting and intriguing of all? A special reception at the White House, hosted by honorary chairs President and Mrs. Obama! (Is it considered gauche to present the President with a graphic novel at a formal event?)

Liza Donnelly (“Women on Men”), Jeff Smith (“Bone”), Bryan Lee O’Malley (“Seconds: A Graphic Novel” and the “Scott Pilgrim” stories), Raina Telgemeier (“Sisters”), and Vivek Tiwary and Kyle Baker (“The Fifth Beatle”) will speak and sign their books for fans at an evening Graphic Novels Super Session, with Michael Cavna, author of The Washington Post’s Comic Riffs blog, as master of ceremonies—part of the first-ever nighttime activities in the 14-year history of the National Book Festival. This year’s festival theme is “Stay Up With a Good Book.”

2012 (first Graphic Novel pavillion)

Jennifer Gavin from the Library of Congress speaks with author Craig Thompson, who will appear at the 2012 Library of Congress National Book Festival on Sept. 22-23, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Sheryl Cannady from the Library of Congress speaks with author Jeff Kinney, who will appear at the 2012 Library of Congress National Book Festival on Sept. 22-23, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

2004

2002

And in 2000 (before the National Book Festival existed):

I’ve been writing for The Beat since July of 2010.
I’ve been reading comics since 1974, collecting since 1984, and spreading the graphic novel gospel since 1994.
I’m a bookseller, a librarian, an amateur scholar, a cool uncle, and a comics evangelist.
Ask me anything!